Senior Director I, College & Universities Strategy and College Ambassadors

The Senior Director, College & Universities (C&U) Strategy and Ambassadors leads the strategic planning, negotiation, and activation of partnerships with colleges, universities, and local prestige assets. This role is responsible for building and advancing 'unbreakable relationships' with key educational institutions, driving long-term asset acquisition and investment strategies, and ensuring Coca-Cola's commitment to its partners is reinforced through collaborative business planning, student marketing, and sustainability initiatives. The role will provide leadership across bottler partnerships and cross-functional teams, aligning efforts to maximize business impact and deliver best-in-class campus experiences as well as manage our Campus Ambassador program.

What You'll Do for Us

Strategic Planning & Partnership Management:

• Lead and manage the strategic planning, acquisition, and renewal strategy for the College and University Channel.
• Partner with Category leads on the recruitment strategy for priority brands, leveraging the College and University Channel as a key driver.
• Align with NAOU leaders and bottlers on long-term C&U asset acquisition, investment strategies, and business plans to drive sustainable growth and value.
• Build and maintain 'unbreakable relationships' with senior leaders at partner schools through the Collaborative Business Planning Process, reinforcing Coca-Cola's Partner Commitment and advancing student marketing and sustainability initiatives.
• Lead and manage the Campus Ambassador program.

• Influence negotiations and activations for College & University programs, ensuring mutually beneficial agreements and seamless execution.
• Influence the activation of sponsorships and marketing initiatives, ensuring alignment with both Coca-Cola's brand objectives and the unique needs of each campus.

• Provide strategy and leadership across multiple bottler partnerships and cross-functional teams, including NAOU & Bottler marketing, sales, operations, legal, franchise leadership, and finance.
• Collaborate with Category Leads on C&U Channel Plans to enable key platforms and marketing initiatives to be leveraged on college campuses.

• Manage large system sponsorship investments and oversee direct marketing expenses across the C&U portfolio, ensuring financial accountability and optimal ROI.
• Monitor and optimize investment strategies to maximize the impact of Coca-Cola's presence and partnerships in the college and university channel.

• Establish clear KPIs and measurement approaches for C&U initiatives, rigorously optimizing based on results to ensure activations deliver against goals and ladder up to national success.
• Conduct post-program reviews and share insights to inform future planning and drive continuous improvement.

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business Administration, Communications, or a related field required. MBA or advanced degree preferred.

• 8+ years of experience in partnership management, marketing, sponsorships, or business development, preferably within the beverage, consumer goods, or higher education sectors.
• Proven track record of leading complex negotiations and managing high-value partnerships with colleges, universities, or similar institutions.

• Deep understanding of partnership development, sponsorship activation, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Strong financial acumen and experience managing large budgets and investments.
• Ability to influence and collaborate across multiple stakeholders and organizational levels.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and coordinate across teams and stakeholders.
• Strong presentation and written communication skills for sharing results, proposals, and strategic plans.

• Demonstrated ability to lead projects or programs from planning through execution and post-analysis.
• Highly organized, with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.

• Genuine enthusiasm for building partnerships with colleges and universities and engaging with students and campus communities.
• Creative mindset with an appreciation for how campus context can be woven into brand storytelling and partnership engagement.